Creative Disruption

Streaming has created widespread disruption. More content is created every day and competition is stiff. While the demand for high-quality content is unprecedented, it can feel like the spotlight on the people whose visions and work drive what we see on our screens is getting dimmer. With their new production company, Artists Equity, Affleck and Damon want to change that.

Artists Equity believes the voices and interests of creatives should be lifted and supported in the production and distribution of media content and that creators and crew should share in a project’s success. Through entrepreneurial partnerships with both established and emerging filmmakers and the implementation of innovative profit participation deals, Artists Equity is bringing necessary change to the content pipeline.

Loeb & Loeb is proud to be part of that change by providing end-to-end strategic legal support around films and other media projects in Artists Equity’s initial slate.

For many of Artists Equity’s initial film projects, including Small Things Like These starring Cillian Murphy and Unstoppable starring Jennifer Lopez, the Loeb & Loeb team negotiated rights deals; advised on above-the-line production agreements with collaborators such as writers, directors, lead performers and producers; structured financings; and assisted in navigating complex international tax incentive programs.

The deals that Loeb & Loeb negotiated included innovative profit participation arrangements that, consistent with the company’s vision, acknowledged and rewarded the ecosystem of creators involved in these projects.

Beyond the big screen, Loeb & Loeb helped Artists Equity structure deals for short films, documentaries and the company’s first foray into commercial work, Affleck’s popular Dunkin’ Donuts Super Bowl commercial.

Within a year of establishing the company, Artists Equity had an active and diverse slate of projects. Against the backdrop of a challenging marketplace, concurrent labor strikes and rising costs, to establish a new production company with such a different mandate is a feat. To demonstrate its viability in an industry experiencing such disruption is an even greater accomplishment.

But Affleck and Damon are excellent examples of creatives who, though making some of Hollywood’s most enduring content, have consistently demonstrated a respect for the creative process and an appreciation for the partnerships and collaborations that bring visions to the big screen. Loeb & Loeb is honored to be one of Artists Equity’s partners as it continues to elevate the role of the creative and reshape the industry.